Hundreds of people waved flags at a parade, then stood in the wilting heat for several hours Wednesday to honor retired Marine Cpl. Zach Briseno, 25, as he was presented with a new house in northwest Fort Worth.

"To see this many people show up, it's amazing," said a visibly moved Briseno, a 2003 graduate of Castleberry High School whose legs were blown off by a roadside bomb in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007.Helping A Hero, a nonprofit based in Houston, awarded its 25th handicapped-accessible house, and its first in North Texas, to Briseno, the father of a 5-year-old boy named Eli.

Among the many people who came to welcome Briseno was Mayor Mike Moncrief and retired Marine Capt. Dan Moran, who was grievously wounded and burned in Iraq in 2006 and received a house in Houston from Helping A Hero.

"What you have done," Moran told the crowd, "is make an investment in Zach. Yes, he's given much. But you have made an impact on his future. This isn't charity. You are going to get a return on this investment."

We're so happy for you, Zach! Wishing you and Elijah many, many years of joy in your new home.

If you know a wounded veteran in Texas who deserves an adaptive home, please contact Helping A Hero.